Born in Barnet, Thomas Evans grew up in Buckinghamshire and graduated from Chelsea College of Arts with a BA in Fine Art in 2000. Shortly after, he exhibited at the Royal Academy Summer exhibition in 2001 and had other group and solo shows in London.

After further study focused on more commercial areas of creativity, and time spent working in both advertising and the world of technology start ups in London and Madrid. Tom returned to the UK in 2017 to re-establish a fine art practice, exhibiting most recently at the Gallery At Home in Usk, in the group show 'Home is Not a Place'.

Tom’s show at the Torch this summer, represents his first recent solo exhibition. His work on display will comprise pastel drawings created in response to the landscape close by where he presently lives. This is an area Tom has a great affinity to, being the home of his maternal grandparents whom he has visited regularly since his early years.

Of his work at the Torch Tom says

"Returning to the UK to live, and for the first time in a predominantly rural area, having previously been accustomed to a bustling European capital city, came as a shock to the system. I made this body of work while adjusting to the very different pace of life. While there is a sense of melancholy and lack of human activity, I have captured the peace and calm that I found here and the space for contemplation.

 I believe the pictures are meditative and indeed, while making them, I engaged in a daily meditation practice. I was also conscious of referencing  artists whose work I admire who have an affinity to the headspace I was in at the time, such as Mark Rothko, Sean Scully or Milton Avery, wondering how they might respond to the same environment."

We invite Torch visitors and anyone passing by to drop in and see Tom’s work which will be in our Oriel Joanna Field Gallery from 3rd to 27th June.